If you’ve lived in the Tampa Bay area the past four years, then you’ve probably heard of Startup Week Tampa Bay, but what is it? Ever wonder if this event is something you’d be interested in? Have an idea or an upstart business that needs a jumpstart? Then this event is for you! We cover the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where and Why) of Startup Week Tampa Bay 2018 to convince you of this important annual local event and conference. Let’s start with this: it's free and geared towards helping you succeed!

The 5 W's of Startup Week Tampa Bay

Who:

Local business minds in support of your entrepreneurial endeavors host an eclectic schedule of sessions designed to grow your business, teach you new techniques, and help you network with the best and the brightest of the Tampa Bay area. There's no better way to improve your business than by learning from those who understand the process. Startup Week is a reflection of your hard work and your community’s unique experience in entrepreneurship. As a startup, you have questions, and the 100+ speakers and panelists at Startup Week Tampa Bay 2018 have answers!

The keynote speaker this year is serial entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of VaynerMedia, Gary Veynerchuk. VaynerMedia is a full-service digital agency servicing Fortune 500 clients across the company’s four locations. Gary V., as he is often called, is one of the most sought-after public speakers in the nation as a venture capitalist, four-time New York Times bestselling author, and an early investor in companies such as Twitter, Tumblr, Venmo, and Uber. Veynerchuk has been named on Crain’s and Fortune’s 50 Under 40 lists. Vaynerchuk will be speaking on Tuesday, February 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Tampa Theatre.

Startup Week Tampa Bay is a week-long celebration of your interests and community. Through a definitive schedule of sessions, conferences, and panels, momentum and opportunity are offered in support of your entrepreneurship. Do you need to be a startup? Not exactly. If you operate a local business or are just interested in starting one up, Startup Week Tampa Bay is for you, too! Sessions include panel discussions, networking and coffee, pancake breakfasts, happy hours, pitch competitions, job fairs, and much more!

When:

Startup Week Tampa Bay 2018 starts Monday, February 12 and goes through Friday, February 16; Monday through Wednesday, this event will be in Tampa Heights and move to Downtown St. Petersburg on Thursday and Friday.

Where:

Startup Week Tampa Bay celebrates the whole Bay area by kicking off the conference in Tampa Heights Monday through Wednesday where #ChaseBasecamp will be held at CAVU with additional panel locations at FOUNDATION coffee co and Hidden Springs Ale Works, all on Franklin Street. The keynote with Gary Vaynerchuk will be held at the Tampa Theatre. The uniqueness of this annual conference is the ability to pick up everything and move to the other side of the Bay! Thursday and Friday, #Chasebasecamp moves to Station House St. Pete with the highly-anticipated Startup Pitch Competition held at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront. The official Startup Week finale party will be held at Al Lang Stadium, the home of the Rowdies!

Why:

Startup Week Tampa Bay is a growing annual event and opportunity to learn from the best businesses in Tampa Bay sharing valuable information about the resources, skills, and expert services needed to build and maintain a healthy business. Learn from successful entrepreneurs’ mistakes, celebrate their triumphs, and take advantage of a vast intellectual think tank with local ties. Choose your sessions, and, as always, they are free! Ask yourself, “What serves me best?” Signing up for sessions is easy, and you can even get free professional headshots!

Go to Startup Week Tampa Bay's website and start registering for panels. There, you can view every speaker and session so you can build your schedule to best fit your needs. An invaluable experience, this is one of the best things to do in Tampa Bay for you and your business.

We hope the 5 W’s of Startup Week Tampa Bay 2018 encourages you to discover the many ways this valuable local event can, and will, benefit you and your bottom line.